To explain Darjeeling Tea in one sentence would be like this: “Darjeeling Tea is a hug in a cup.”

But what really makes it so special? Where is it grown and when is it grown, etcetera, etcetera. To answer all these we need to go to the location where this Champion of teas are grown, pampered and produced.

 
Liquor of Darjeeling First Flush Tea Liquor of Second Flush Tea Liquor of Darjeeling Autumn Flush Tea

 

Where Darjeeling Tea is Grown?

According to the Tea Board of India, Darjeeling Tea can only refer to tea that has been cultivated, grown, produced, manufactured and processed in tea gardens in the hilly areas of Darjeeling Sadar Subdivision.

And only those teas grown in  hilly areas of Kalimpong Subdivision consisting of Samabeong Tea Estate, Ambiok Tea Estate, Mission Hill Tea Estate and Kumai Tea Estate, and Kurseong Subdivision are called the Darjeeling Tea (excluding the areas in jurisdiction list 20, 21, 23, 24, 29, 31 and 33 comprising the Siliguri Subdivision  of New Chumta Tea Estate, Simulbari and Marionbari Tea Estate of Kurseong Police Station in Kurseong) Subdivision of the District of Darjeeling in the State of West Bengal, India grown on picturesque steep slopes up to 4000 ft (ca. 1200 m).

And those teas which have been been processed and manufactured in a factory located in the aforesaid area, which, when brewed, has a distinctive, naturally occurring aroma and taste with light tea liquor and the infused leaf of which has a distinctive fragrance, only those teas are referred to as the Darjeeling tea. Only loose leaf teas produced in these tea gardens are referred to as Darjeeling Tea, whereas the teas produced by crush-tear-curl (CTC) variety are not Darjeeling Teas.

 

Types of Darjeeling Teas:

When one refers Darjeeling tea, one normally means Darjeeling teas with a muscatel flavour for which this tea is famous globally. This Muscatel characteristics is got only from the second flush variety. Apart from this, there are other world class teas each with different characteristics grown in Darjeeling and are also referred to as the Darjeeling tea.

The first flush teas of Darjeeling, the in between that is those teas got from the crop grown between the first flush and the second flush.This type of tea has the characteristics of both the first flush tea and the second flush tea.

The second flush teas of Darjeeling which we mentioned earlier, the monsoon teas of Darjeeling which are not in much demand globally, and the Autumn flush teas of Darjeeling.

These are the flush or crop for the Darjeeling tea but good quality Darjeeling teas are got only from the first flush, second flush and the autumn flush. The black tea of Darjeeling is produced in more quantity than the other teas. Tea lovers also refer the Darjeeling black tea as red tea because of the sun-set like colour of its liquor. Apart from black tea, the gardens manufacture the green tea and the white tea and are in good demand globally.Some tea estate of Darjeeling are experimenting with different tea manufacturing practices and one may get Oolongs, Sencha, Silver Needle,   and many other teas which are being manufactured and sold as the Darjeeling tea.So there is this Darjeeling Oolong, Darjeeling Sencha, Darjeeling Silver Needle, etc which are all Darjeeling teas in various forms.The tea leaves of the Darjeeling tea belongs to either the China variety of Camellia sinensis or the clonal types. The leaves are small in size in comparison to those tea leaves from Assam which are from (Camellia sinensis var. assamica)

 

 

List of Darjeeling Tea Gardens:

  • Aloobari Tea Estate
  • Ambiok (Hilton) Tea Estate
  • Ambootia Tea Estate
  • Arya Tea Estate
  • Avongrove Tea Estate
  • Badamtam Tea Estate
  • Balasun Tea Estate
  • Bannocburn Tea Estate
  • Barnesbeg (North Tukvar) Tea Estate
  • Castleton Tea Estate
  • Chamong Tea Estate
  • Chongtong (Sirisi) Tea Estate
  • Dhajea Tea Estate
  • Dilaram Tea Estate
  • Dooteriah Tea Estate
  • Eden Vale Tea Estate
  • Gayabari (Millikthong) Tea Estate
  • Giddhapahar Tea Estate
  • Gielle Tea Estate
  • Ging Tea Estate
  • Glenburn Tea Estate
  • Goomtee Tea Estate
  • Gopaldhara Tea Estate
  • Happy Valley Tea Estate
  • Jogamaya Tea Estate
  • Jungapana (Jungapana Upper) Tea Estate
  • Kalej Valley Tea Estate
  • Kanchen View Tea Estate
  • Kumai (Snow View) Tea Estate
  • Lingia Tea Estate
  • Liza Hill Tea Estate
  • Longview (High Lands) Tea Estate
  • Lopchu Tea Estate
  • Mahalderam Tea Estate
  • Makaibari Tea Estate
  • Margaret’s Hope Tea Estate
  • Marybong Tea Estate
  • Marybong Tea Estate
  • Mim Tea Estate
  • Mission Hill Tea Estate
  • Mohan Majhua Tea Estate
  • Moonteviot Tea Estate
  • Moondakotee Tea Estate
  • Mullootar Tea Estate
  • Nagari Tea Estate
  • Namring & Namring Upper Tea Estate
  • Nagari Farm Tea Estate
  • Narbada Majhua Tea Estate
  • North Tukvar Tea Estate
  • Nurbong Tea Estate
  • Oaks Tea Estate
  • Okayti Tea Estate
  • Orange Valley Tea Estate
  • Pandam Tea Estate
  • Peshok Tea Estate
  • Phoobsering Tea Estate
  • Phuguri Tea Estate
  • Poobong Tea Estate
  • Pussimbing (Minzoo) Tea Estate
  • Rangaroon Tea Estate
  • Ringtong Tea Estate
  • Risheehat Tea Estate
  • Rohini Tea Estate
  • Runglee-Rungliot Tea Estate
  • Rungmook (Cedars) Tea Estate
  • Samabeong Tea Estate
  • Seepoydhoorah (Chamling) Tea Estate
  • Seeyok (Spring Valley) Tea Estate
  • Selim Hill Tea Estate
  • Selimbong (Rongbong) Tea Estate
  • Singbull Tea Estate
  • Singell Tea Estate
  • Singtam Tea Estate
  • Sivitar Tea Estate
  • Soom Tea Estate
  • Sourenee Tea Estate
  • Springside Tea Estate
  • Steinthal Tea Estate
  • Sungma Tea Estate
  • Teesta Valley Tea Estate
  • Thurbo Tea Estate
  • Tindharia Tea Estate
  • Tukbar (Puttabong) Tea Estate
  • Tukdah Tea Estate
  • Tumsong Tea Estate
  • Turzum Tea Estate
  • Upper Fagu Tea Estate
  • Vah Tukvar / Shree Dwarika Tea Estate

So loose-leaf teas grown, produced, and manufactured from the above tea estate are only referred to as the Darjeeling Tea.

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